…well-wishers were treated to the sight of the monarch and 95-year-old Philip travelling to Horse Guards in the Ascot Landau, and the imposing presence of The Sovereign’s Escort, mounted troops from the Life Guards and Blues and Royals.

These images focus on the seaming and darts in the neckline and bodice.

Both Photos by Splash News

This offers a closer look at the horizontal panel below the waist.

Nunn Syndication/POLARIS

Kate’s understanding of the unspoken messages sent by ceremonial wardrobe selections was evident today; bringing back a garment from an important occasion for another significant event strikes me as something she would be sensitive to when planning today’s wardrobe. The Duchess freshened the look with a new hat by Philip Treacy.

The clips measure about 7/8″ in diameter. The “Eugenia” name covers a broad selection of jewelry at Balenciaga. Kate’s pair originally retailed at $745 at Net-a-Porter; unfortunately the style is no longer available.

For some the earrings brought to mind Kate’s brooch from Trooping the Colour in 2014, worn atop an Alexander McQueen suit. (I’m pretty sure Harry was telling someone about the brooch as he spoke into his wrist. Cough-cough.)

James Whatling/Splash News

With apologies for the poor quality of the photo, here is a look at that piece.

Allie left a comment reminding about the oversize buttons on Kate’s Alexander McQueen coat. I had forgotten all about those! Below you see Kate in the garment at the Commonwealth Day service in March of 2015.

Comments

I adore everything about this look, even the polarizing earrings. 😉 While I agree the pendant seems a bit of an afterthought and not really necessary, I don’t think it detracts from the overall look. The hat is the perfect update to a classic piece like the McQueen coatdress, and the repeat of something with neutral tones and clean lines lets the focus be squarely where it belongs… on Her Majesty. Who looks utterly fabulous. I can only hope at 90 I’m similarly blessed to be surrounded by family and wearing what I want to stand out in a crowd.

I absolutely adore this look and love how it compliments charlotte’s dress. The colors just make her glow. As a southern girl, I do love the way she dresses her children. The earrings make me think of Diana and I wonder if they are maybe hers or inspired by(Kate always seems to try to add a Diana memory in her own little way which I believe is so thoughtful). Just a radiant and beautiful family.

Wow, that is one glorious hat! It is possibly my favorite of all those she has worn over the years. I am especially a fan of the pink rose matching little Charlotte’s dress, this makes for very sweet pictures. Kate has also treated us to a very neat updo, and it combines very well with the hat, makeup and earrings, a nice departure from the dainty drop earrings she usually favours.

Reading some of the comments about how the hat was convenient because Charlotte wouldn’t be able to catch it, I was reminded that when we were smaller, my mother used to avoid necklaces & pendants should we be tempted to grab. As it happens, the pendant is all but upstaged by the rest of the look and so, so close to the baby’s hands…

Also a nice surprise to see the McQueen again, I hadn’t noticed the seaming and the darts the first time around, they are invisible on most pictures, the tailoring is impressive as always…

Beautiful coat dress and I love it with her hat. A really nice combination of styles and colours. The neckline is good and works well with her necklace. I would love to see Kate wear more pearls but probably not these ones with this outfit. In my opinion, plainer diamonds would have kept the lovely hat as the main compliment to the dress.

What a fantastic look! This was a gorgeous frock the first time and I am so happy we got to see it again. This is a perfect example of how you need simplicity in the rest of your outfit if you are going to wear a hat with a lot going on. I thought that this hat was a perfect contrast to the simple clean lines of the McQueen and the color was the perfect complement. Her makeup and hair were perfect—I would love to see her in this side-swept chignon again. My only tiny quibble with this look was the earrings—I thought they were matronly and didn’t really go with the rest of the ensemble or the necklace, but this is such a tiny quibble and doesn’t really hurt the overall look.

This is her absolute best look EVER!!! The coat, the hat which adds the perfect element of contrast to the white dress, the hat which is a hat (and not a fascinator), the chignon, and the earrings which are perfection (her usual earrings are so small you can barely see them).

I’ve always thought Kate’s christening suit was perfection and it sure is today. The blush hat is elegant and HER HAIR IS AMAZING! What a gorgeous side sweep of an updo there!!! I think at events like this she always tries to include Diana, and the earrings are most likely to honor her, as is George’s outfit. She looks cool, fresh, graceful, and like the beautiful young, caring mom that she is as she holds those children and gently sweeps back George’s hair. Love the whole thing!

Well, though I’ve been reading this (wonderful) blog for a long time, I’ve never post a comment because of my bad english (I’m French) ! But here I am, trying to write something understandable because I love that Duchess’s look so much !!

I loved the Mc Queen coat the first time we saw it for Princess Charlotte’s Christening, but I love it even more with this new hat. I think the colour of the hat is perfect with the coat and with Princess Charlotte’s dress ! I also love to see the Duchess with a new style of earring.
And of course the most precious thing was to see the Cambridges with huge smiles on their faces, such a beautiful familly.

And a last word to say how much I think this blog is amazing, there is a lot of work in each post and it is a real pleasure to read the posts, THANK YOU !

That’s a gorgeous hat – and I’m not even a hat person. It’s a beautiful way to update the McQueen coatdress. It also coordinates well with Charlotte’s dress.
This is one of the Duchess’s best looks IMO!
I love seeing these adorable children, and think they’re dressed perfectly for their age.

When I saw the photos from the day my first thought was “Gibson Girl”….. The hat with flower, combined with the loose, large side twist of hair and the earrings felt like the early 1900’s to me. I adore this entire look. I loved how the Duchess looked in this coat dress the first time around, but for this event it seems to fit better; it looks like it lies/falls better along the seams. The neckline and collar are my favorite part of this design on her – she has a lovely long neck and with her hair up – and this gorgeous hat – it’s a smashing combination. I change my mind on the earrings every time I look at the photos. One moment I like them, the next I think they don’t fit. But overall the Duchess looks so clean, fresh and polished I can’t find it in myself to quibble about a single thing. Her children are (as Diana Princess of Wales used to say about her boys) Drop Dead Gorgeous, and both the Duke and Duchess look so proud of their lovely family. And the Queen looks especially happy too. A wonderful post as always – someday I would love to see the Trooping the Colour in person, but this is the next best thing to being there!!!!!!

She looked perfect except for the jewelry- she can not seem to co-ordinate pieces ever. Either look would have been fine- dainty and intricate or bold and simple but not together. I am surprised that I liked the pearl earrings so much but I did.

Just happened to look at What Kate’s Kids Wore and you can see Diana wearing what looks like pearl earrings alongside William. dianasjewels.net shows what appears to be the same earrings listed under Pearls. It would be wonderful if not not only George but Catherine wore reminders from William’s special day!

she looks elegant – just perfect. I like the earrings – sort of retro and a change from her usual.

I like the kids clothes – I have noticed the high end toddler/infant clothes are very much like what Char and George wear. As for wearing a hand me down from his father – well – they saved it so someone (Charles?) wanted it used. And since the RF is about continuity – for a public occasion it was fine IMHO.

I mentioned this on Twitter, but I’m wondering if her earrings are modified versions of a pair once owned by Princess Diana? They’re not in Kate’s usual style, and Diana did own several pairs of mabe pearl earrings. Whenever I see Kate wear jewelry that appears to be out of step with her style, I always think to myself “this is probably a gift”.

Simply lovely. Catherine looks gorgeous – so relaxed and confident. Her calm presence with her children and her husband’s family is what captivates me. Her makeup is the best every and the dress with that stunning hat — perfection!

I agree. The hat is too close in color to the dress to contrast/compliment, but not close enough to match. And the different types of jewelry don’t work well together. That said, she is still stunningly beautiful.

Hi WKW,
Several people have commented on the”matronly” or old fashioned aspect to Kate’s earrings. Perhaps they are Diana’s? Some one over at My Small Obsessions suggested this. There are photos of Diana wearing large pearl earrings surrounded by diamonds. Is there a close up of Kate’s earrings? Perhaps they are indeed Diana’s.

I love her hat, and I wonder if she made the style choice based on the fact she would be holding PC on the balcony. She would need a hat that wouldn’t be in the way while holding her, and plus, nothing low in the hat for the baby to grab! I think the baby held on the same side as the flower( she didn’t switch sides) works well. Kate also helped all the photographers to be sble to get both kids in the pictures!

I thought the same thing. Blush color in the hat, pale pink on baby Charlotte, hair and makeup all combining for a beautiful photo. Queen’s 90th, great-grandaughter in the direct line making her first”royal” appearance. And the earrings making it perfection.

Longtime reader, first-time commenter. I read elsewhere that the earrings were magnetic; perhaps princess Charlotte likes to grab? That might explain the switch from the Duchess’ usual dainty pieces. I still like the look; it seemed in keeping with the oversized rose.

I hadn’t thought of that, but that might make sense for Kate to wear a non-dangly earring. My nephew was a grabber so his mom had to stop wearing her beloved long necklaces and hoop earrings for a while.

Thank goodness Kate did something interesting. I love that there is a flower blooming on her head, tipping her hat back. It’s fresh, elegant and whimsical all at the same time, which is hard to accomplish!

Her makeup looks great, the eyebrows are much more natural and toned down.

When you are 90 you get to wear whatever color you want! The Queen’s green is the same color as my favorite flavor ice pop. She looks so rad, amazing, cool, dignified, ROYAL, I have so many adjectives in my head for it, all positive.

I couldn’t help thinking of a joke when I saw the (really lovely & precious) photo of Kate holding her kids on the balcony. “Some day, darlings, this will all be for me….” Keep in mind I’m completely joking! I do think it’s a really pretty photo 🙂

I really love the McQueen coatdress and the gorgeous hat. Kate looks very elegant and the photos with Princess Charlotte and Prince George are heartwarming.

Susan, thank you for mentioning that the earrings are mabe pearls. I was not familiar with the term and did a bit of reading about them. Very interesting. I’m not sure if I like the earrings, however. My first thought was that I had some similar costume jewelry earrings in the 1980s.

First time poster and long time lurker here on WKW. I think the Duchess looks so timeless and beautiful here. This one one of my favorite looks of late.

One question for the commentors who dislike George’s outfit. What do you think he should be wearing? I’m genuinely curious. I live in the Southern United States, and little boys are often dressed like this on special occasions until the age of 3 or 4. Usually once they turn 4 or so they dress more like older boys and grown men. Honestly, George and Charlotte are dressed exactly how my children of would be dressed at that age if we were attending a wedding or something of the like.

Yes!!!!!! Agree 100% . I’m a southern girl as well. and everyone I know dresses their little ones like this! Check out my comment on WKW Facebook page. I LOVE that he wore his father outfit from Harry’s christening! No doubt it was also Diana that selected it for William, and that makes it more special!

Thanks for the update on children’s outfits. It’s good to be reminded of their more general use as I find myself tempted to feel irritated as it goes on. There really does have to be time to allow little ones to be little for those first few years.

I was thinking the same thing. I’m from New England, and my children would have been dressed very similarly for a fancy occasion. I’m not a fan of tiny adult clothing for little children. I’m not sure who the young boy wearing the sailor outfit was, but that was also very appropriate.

Oh, that’s interesting. I’ve seen patterns for children’s clothes like George’s in fancy sewing/embroidery magazines, but I’ve never seen them on children today. Maybe those magazines are based in the South or East. In the western US, little boys usually just wear a suit and tie (like daddy) or little vests with a button-up shirt and tie.

Southern US here and I have never seen any little boy dressed like this. People would say he’s dressed like Little Lord Fauntleroy. For weddings a little boy might wear a miniature version of the suit that the groomsmen are wearing. I can see him in a linen blazer and pants.

It’s typical attire for all the little ones in my family and social circle. I also have many friends in NYC and Boston that dress their children this way. Best & Co at Bergdorf Goodman has a gorgeous line of smocked clothing for both little girls and boys. Since this style has been popular for over a century, it has become somewhat of a status symbol of upper class families. Also, considering the expense of most of these outfits, they are usually passed down from generation to generation. My little nephew has worn all my brothers Feltman Brothers outfits. We take great care to preserve them because they are considered family heirlooms.

Flawless. Never mind the earrings, just…flawless. Wow. If possible, I think I like this hat even better than the one the Duchess wore with this lovely coat dress for her daughter’s christening last year.

And those two beautiful children with their parents on the balcony today…the little Princess, waving. Pure joy. 🙂

I think the hat is spectacular. The full, pink rose is such a lovely feminine touch. It is great that the Duchess has worn her hair up two days in a row. It is certainly more professional and polished than seeing Kate pushing her hair off her face so many times. The earrings are okay, but they certainly don’t coordinate with the necklace. The large pearls are big and bold and the necklace is so minimal by comparison. She should have worn the large earrings alone, or worn the ones that match the pendant.

George and Charlotte are very cute and it is good to see so many royals out celebrating.

I really like the large earrings! I think her jewelry is generally really boring–but then, I am a ‘more is more’ gal when it comes to jewels. 🙂 I think the pale pink is a lovely color on Kate and her makeup was fresh and young. I feel like she looks too old for her true age most of the time but this was perfect.

I loved The Duchess’s look today. It had a great vintage 40’s feel to it. While I loved the large pearl earrings, I think she may look back and wish she hadn’t. I didn’t even notice he necklace until someone mentioned it-probably she have taken Coco’s advise and taken one accessory off. She probably thought it would work today, because she wore it the first time with the coat. Charlotte’s dress is very similar to one worn by Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie when they were young.

Lovely choice for Kate, but I think George should get his own wardrobe – the mini William look was very sweet the first time, but it’s silly to keep doing it at big events. The entire family looked nice today – that balcony was very full!

I like the retro clothing on PG. Its very classic and timeless. Anyway, this is probably one of rhe last times it can be done. There may be a sailor suit and a pair of short overalls archived but PG has pretty much worn the iconic outfits .

This is a family built on tradition. George has his own wardrobe. This is not a normal child. He is the future king of England. Nothing silly or odd about wearing his fathers outfit from Harry’s christening. These outfits that George wears on special occasion are very appropriate and common in my social circle. It’s not old fashioned, girly, frilly, silly, inappropriate, or strange. It’s absolutely adorable and perfect for the future king. I also love that George wore an outfit that was probably selected by his grandmother that he will never know. Small way to perhaps include her in today’s festivities.

So, starting with the good…I think that her face looks great. That is the best her makeup has looked in a while…it makes her look younger. However, I was not a fan of the outfit at George’s christening and still am not, and I think the hat is preposterous. And the earrings look straight out of Dynasty. Love the Queen’s ensemble, though.

She looks elegant,and happy, especially when she is with her children. Her sartorial choices aren’t making her the focus of the day, which is how it should be, and she has her hair up – she needs to that more often.

I’m in two minds about the hat – I didn’t like it at all on first viewing, but in the shots taken from her left (i.e. the side with the flower) it looks a lot better. I think largely because from this side the pink colouring is very evident, whereas when you can just see the outer surface it looks more like an off-white which doesn’t match the dress. Does that make any sense? I don’t think the shape of it is particularly flattering, either.

But overall she looks wonderful, and it’s always lovely to see the kids.

I love Kate in these chunky earrings! Her updo looks great and that hat is gorgeous! I usually love that necklace, but think it is too dainty with the bold hat and earrings. I wish she had left it off.

She looks beautiful. Love love the hat and her hair style. Love the dress and I like the two pieces together very much. With the others not a fan of the earrings. A large pair of regular high quality pearl earrings would have looked lovely, too me these earrings look inexpensive.(even if they are not) Maybe knowing how many pieces of pearls are in the Royal Family vault waiting to come down to her has caused her to not buy expensive pearl jewelry for herself. She actually could have worn diamond studs with the hat, dress and pendant. Charlotte and George looked very cute, Charlotte looks to be teething:)

What an elegant look. The clean lines and cream color of the dress are beautiful alone, but the wonderfully crafted blush hat compliments the dress so well. The flower is gorgeous. Definitely a risky choice, but it is perfection and a perfect pairing for the neutral coat.

I think this look supports the point I attempted to make yesterday: if you’re going to wear an elaborate, or at least “interesting,” hat, pair it with a very simple, relatively unembellished, dress or suit. You don’t want to engage in overkill when it comes to adornment.

I think the Duchess looked great, I like the idea of wearing a hat with a touch of color (but not too much) with the cream coat, which I’ve admired since the christening, and I genuinely appreciate the larger pearl earrings. While I’ve always liked her “princess-y” jeweled drops, they often don’t make much of a statement, whereas I think these earrings did so. However, while of notable size, they were also simple enough to work well with the coat but not to compete with the hat. A very nice balancing act.

And although the look as a whole exuded the “royal matron” identity that the Duchess has been developing, I thought it somewhat less staid than yesterday’s fussier appearance. That’s partly because of the hat and the unexpected earrings, but that coat demonstrates that there will forever be a good deal to be said for sophisticated simplicity. It always works on everyone, of every age.

I agree, the McQueen was the perfect balance to the hat. This is my new all time favorite hat the Duchess has sported, it is just lovely and a great fit for the occasion and her personality. Both of the children look adorable, can’t get enough of them. My only quibble is with the necklace the Duchess wore, it doesn’t go at all the yummy new earrings. My opinion has always been that if you have a great pair of statement earrings you don’t need a necklace.

This was perfect public occasion dressing. I am happy to see Kate go big with both her hat and the earrings. I didn’t realize mabe pearls were back, but I’m going to borrow my mom’s and I bet that’s what Kate did, too.

Charlotte was just perfection. We all had a dress like that and the tiny pink shoes are absolutely adorable. She is going to be so much fun to watch grow up.

The blush hat is lovely and the coordination with Princess Charlotte in pink is very sweet.
Somehow that hat and coat dress don’t work together to my eye; I can’t exactly explain why. Maybe it’s the big flower.

Camilla, Kate and the Countess of Wessex seem to have coordinated their colors over the past two days, ice blue yesterday and cream/white today. It does serve the purpose of drawing more attention to Her Majesty. It’s her day, after all.

That has to be Kate’s best recycle yet — the stunning hat eclipses any worn-again factor from the coat. That’s a miracle of Philip Treacy fancy, with the huge oversize rose contained under such an elegant sheer swoop of millinery.

I love the coat to bits and am very happy to see it again, I love its neat clean collar and the seaming and fit overall are simply McQueen at their best.

Not so sure about oversize earrings. Having previously wondered why she stuck to relatively intricate pieces I can see how they suit her neat features. I think the pendant is overkill, it puzzles me how she could have left off everything except dramatic earrings for her evening Mouret gown and now two coatdresses have suffered small pendants where enough decoration was already at work.

But I quibble. Kate looks fantastic and I’m blown away by those beautiful children, Charlotte with full royal wave and George with his military salute (even if he was only trying to keep the sun out of his eyes!)

Ditto to everything you said ElizaMo except that I do like the earrings. Nice to see some bigger pieces especially at events like this. This is how to work the royal look without appearing matronly. Initially, I was disappointed with the rewear but when Susan pointed out that the DoC chose an important dress for another important occasion, I had to love it. Besides, what’s not to love about this McQueen coatdress?! Really beautiful photographs of the entire family, and those children are beyond gorgeous.

I think on balance I like the earrings too. I certainly support Kate going for more drama in the jewellery department, it works well for these formal set pieces she takes part in. First the blue earrings in India, then those great hoops of two nights ago, and now these — a developing trend?

I also thought it was lovely Kate wore the coat from Charlotte’s christening for Charlotte’s big balcony debut.

Swooning over that beautiful hat which Kate wears to perfection instead of it ‘wearing her’ as large hats can sometimes do. Thought it nicely refreshed her coat dress and of course the pix of her with Charlotte are delicious.

Don’t love the earrings though. IMO, they feel dated; matronly; distracting with the hat; and all wrong with the outfit which called for more delicate earrings.

Thank you for your great posts and speedy coverage of these special celebrations!